While I wasn't wowed by the book, there were elements I really loved. The vampires for one. The medical investigation for another. The graphic novel streamlines the book; it cuts out some of the unnecessary waste, reshuffles the plot order, places some reveals earlier (where it holds much more weight) and visually depicts the nightmarish vampires Del Toro created. The art style is dark and frenetic, perfectly representing the chaos and panic of the narrative. The vampires are horrific, gory and terrifying. Eph and Nora are much better with less time spent on unnecessary characterisation, and Setrakians flashbacks work beautifully in this medium. It's a much tighter and successful story, and I think I might stick to the graphic novel from now on.

Now that I've had time to calm down from my earlier excitement over this graphic novel, I think I'm finally ready to review it. Being totally honest, I'm a sucker for all things vampire related. Wait, no. That's not entirely true. I don't do sparkly vampires. Ever. Everything else is fair game though, and I especially love when something new and different comes along. Which is why I was so excited over The Strain. I had no idea this was a book first, but based off the cover art alone I knew I was going to want to devour this. I was right. I absolutely adored the art style in this one. It has these perfectly dark and gritty illustrations that do a great job of evoking the madness of this story line. Be warned, this graphic novel has it's fair share of blood and gore. Then again, any good vampire story does so I was expecting it anyway. It's not overly gratuitous bloodshed, honestly. In fact, it helps draw the line between good and evil in the panels. I think some of those illustrations might haunt my nightmares for a bit though. It was the story itself that really caught my attention though. This is a much different vampire story than I'd been told before. Granted it does share some of the same origin stories, but the twist on this just deliciously, well... twisted. If you're like me, and you haven't read the book yet, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at what you find between these pages. If you'll permit me a small tangent, my husband isn't a big reader but he loves graphic novels. I know that one I'm reading is really good if he steals it from me. This one? He took it away after I'd only read 10 pages, and didn't give it back until he was done. It has the hubby seal of approval. So, yes, I loved this! It was just the type of story I was hoping to get lost in, with the type of illustrative work that I just can't get enough of. I'm so thrilled that I had the opportunity to receive a review copy of this, and I can't wait to find out what happens next! That ending. Oh, that ending. I'll be here mourning my lack of the next installment if you need me.